Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Oct;131(4):1025-1031.
doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000004909.

Preoperative Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Using Alternative Scoring Models of the Sleep Tiredness Observed Pressure-Body Mass Index Age Neck Circumference Gender Questionnaire: An External Validation

Ludovic Seguin  1 , Renaud Tamisier  2 , Baptiste Deletombe  1 , Mélanie Lopez  2 , Jean-Louis Pepin  2 , Jean-François Payen  1   3
Affiliations

Preoperative Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Using Alternative Scoring Models of the Sleep Tiredness Observed Pressure-Body Mass Index Age Neck Circumference Gender Questionnaire: An External Validation

Ludovic Seguin et al. Anesth Analg. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

Background: The Sleep Tiredness Observed Pressure-Body mass index Age Neck circumference Gender (STOP-Bang) questionnaire is a validated preoperative screening tool for identifying patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Although it has a high sensitivity at scores ≥3, its specificity is moderate, particularly for scores of 3-4. This study aimed to externally validate the STOP-Bang questionnaire and the alternative scoring models that have been proposed to improve its predictive performance.

Methods: This prospective cohort study included 115 surgical patients with preoperative STOP-Bang scores of 3-8. Type 3 sleep recordings identified moderate-to-severe OSA, reflected by an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of >15. Patients were categorized into 2 subgroups: patients with an intermediate (STOP-Bang 3-4) or a high risk of OSA (STOP-Bang 5-8). For patients with scores of 3-4, we tested approaches identified in previous studies: stepwise stratification of the STOP-Bang questionnaire and additional preoperative measurement of serum bicarbonate concentrations.

Results: The incidence of moderate-to-severe OSA was significantly higher in patients with STOP-Bang scores of 5-8 than in patients with scores of 3-4: 45 of 58 patients (78%) versus 30 of 57 patients (53%), respectively (P < .01). For patients with STOP-Bang scores of 3-4, we found no differences regarding their OSA diagnosis between patients included in the alternative scoring models and those not included.

Conclusions: The STOP-Bang questionnaire detected moderate-to-severe OSA patients when scores reached 5-8. However, its performance was altered in patients with STOP-Bang scores of 3-4, and alternative scoring models with specific combinations of factors failed to improve the screening of these patients.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02833662.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Lévy P, Kohler M, McNicholas WT, et al. Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2015;1:15015.
    1. Benjafield AV, Ayas NT, Eastwood PR, et al. Estimation of the global prevalence and burden of obstructive sleep apnoea: a literature-based analysis. Lancet Respir Med. 2019;7:687–698.
    1. Kapur VK, Auckley DH, Chowdhuri S, et al. Clinical practice guideline for diagnostic testing for adult obstructive sleep apnea: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13:479–504.
    1. Opperer M, Cozowicz C, Bugada D, et al. Does obstructive sleep apnea influence perioperative outcome? A qualitative systematic review for the Society of Anesthesia and Sleep Medicine Task Force on preoperative preparation of patients with sleep-disordered breathing. Anesth Analg. 2016;122:1321–1334.
    1. Tamisier R, Fabre F, O’Donoghue F, Lévy P, Payen JF, Pépin JL. Anesthesia and sleep apnea. Sleep Med Rev. 2018;40:79–92.

Publication types

Associated data